The Revolt on Venus | Page 5

you do, you're Space Cadets! Act like one! But above all, have a good
time! Spaceman's luck!"
A cadet stepped forward quickly, turned to face the line of cadets, and
held up his hands. He brought them down quickly and words of the
Academy song thundered from a thousand voices.
"From the rocket fields of the Academy To the far-flung stars of outer
space, We're Space Cadets training to be Ready for dangers we may
face.
Up in the sky, rocketing past, Higher than high, faster than fast, Out
into space, into the sun, Look at her go when we give her the gun.
We are Space Cadets, and we are proud to say Our fight for right will
never cease. Like a cosmic ray, we light the way To interplanet peace!"
"Dis-missed!" roared Walters. Immediately the precise lines of cadets
turned into a howling mob of eager boys, everyone seemingly running
in a different direction.
"Come on," said Roger. "I've got everything set! Let's get to the station
ahead of the mob."
"But what about our gear?" said Tom. "We've got to get back to the
dorm."
"I had it sent down to the station last night. I got the monorail tickets to

Atom City last week, and reserved seats on the Venus Lark two weeks
ago! Come on!"
"Only Roger could handle it so sweetly," sighed Astro. "You know,
hotshot, sometimes I think you're useful!"
The three cadets turned and raced across the quadrangle for the nearest
slidewalk that would take them to the Academy monorail station and
the beginning of their adventure in the jungles of Venus.
[Illustration]
CHAPTER 2
"The situation may be serious and it may not, but I don't want to take
any chances."
Commander Walters sat in his office, high up in the Tower of Galileo,
with department heads from the Academy and Solar Guard. Behind
him, an entire wall made of clear crystal offered a breath-taking view of
the Academy grounds. Before him, their faces showing their concern
over a report Walters had just read, Captain Strong, Major Connel, Dr.
Joan Dale, and Professor Sykes waited for the commanding officer of
the Academy to continue.
"As you know," said Walters, "the resolution passed by the Council in
establishing the Solar Guard specifically states that it shall be the duty
of the Solar Guard to investigate and secure evidence for the Solar
Alliance Council of any acts by any person, or group of persons,
suspected of overt action against the Solar Constitution or the Universal
Bill of Rights. Now, based on the report I've just read to you, I would
like an opinion from each of you."
"For what purpose, Commander?" asked Joan Dale, the young and
pretty astrophysicist.
"To decide whether it would be advisable to have a full and open
investigation of this information from the Solar Guard attaché on

Venus."
"Why waste time talking?" snapped Professor Sykes, the chief of the
nucleonics laboratory. "Let's investigate. That report sounds serious."
Major Connel leveled a beady eye on the little gray-haired man.
"Professor Sykes, an investigation is serious. When it is based on a
report like this one, it is doubly serious, and needs straight and careful
thinking. We don't want to hurt innocent people."
Sykes shifted around in his chair and glared at the burly Solar Guard
officer. "Don't try to tell me anything about straight thinking, Connel. I
know more about the Solar Constitution and the rights of our citizens
than you'll know in ten thousand light years!"
"Yeah?" roared Connel. "And with all your brains you'd probably find
out these people are nothing more than a harmless bunch of colonists
out on a picnic!"
The professor shot out of his chair and waved an angry finger under
Connel's nose. "And that would be a lot more than I'm finding out right
now with that contraption of yours!" he shouted.
Connel's face turned red. "So that's how you feel about my invention!"
he snapped.
"Yes, that's the way I feel about your invention!" replied Sykes hotly. "I
know three cadets that could build that gadget in half the time it's taken
you just to figure out the theory!"
Commander Walters, Captain Strong, and Joan Dale were fighting to
keep from laughing at the hot exchange between the two veteran
spacemen.
"They sound like the Polaris unit," Joan whispered to Strong.
Walters stood up. "Gentlemen! Please! We're here to discuss a report
on the activities of a secret organization on Venus. I will have to ask

you to keep to the subject at hand. Dr. Dale, do you have any
comments on the report?" He turned to the young physicist who was
choking off a laugh.
"Well, Commander," she began, still smiling, "the report is rather
sketchy. I would like to see more information